I started blogging in Feb. 2008 on a Free Blogger Site with absolutly NO CLUE what I was doing.  As my friend at MoneyEnergy mentioned in one of her comments…it took like 6 months to get my first Adsense Check. 

While I still know very little about making money online, I am now making enough per month to cover a decent little car payment, and my site statistics are heading in the right direction every month.  That being said, I’ve got a couple of tips here that might save you some time if you are just starting out blogging.  If you post often enough, and follow a few good ideas, you should be able to get an adsense check or affiliate check within 2 months or so.

Tip #1 Forget Blogger, and go straight to a Hosted, Wordpress site with a theme that accents your content and is easy to use.  This was, BY FAR, the best thing that I did.  Hosting through HostGator.com is only $10 per month, and it is well worth the investment.  It gives your blog a much more porfessional feel than the basic blogger or wordpress.com package.

Tip #2  Invest in a good domain name!  Search GoDaddy.com for hours if you have to so you can buy a good online brandname to build your blog around.  I personally made a mistake on this one, as I probably could have done alot better than “The Almost Millionaire” as it is kind of long and most people don’t think or care about Almost Millionaires…but it has worked well, and made sense to me at the time.

Tip #3  Spend some time writing 4-7 of your BEST possible articles focused on what type of blog you are trying to develop, personal finance, SEO, marketing, private equity, investments…whatever.  Just focus your efforts on your best stuff within your chosen topic.

Tip #4  Spend about a two weeks finding blogs like yours.  Make meaningful comments to show your interest and support for those blogs.  Invest your time in developing friendships with those bloggers who are receptive to your comments and seem interested in interacting with you.  There are TONS of great bloggers who like to help newbies, but there are a lot of JERKS out there too, who will never support you or give you the time of day.  Focus on the friendly bloggers, and avoid those who show no interest in you…and don’t take it personally, there are just some guys who are so big they don’t have the time in the day to respond to comments and develop relationships.  FYI, a few guys who are great at developing online conversations are Sire from Wassupblog, Mitch from I’m Just Sharing, and Dave at Do You Dave Ramsey.  There are more, I wish I had time to name them all.

Tip #5  Invest your time and money in learning from others who have been successful at making money online and from blogging.  There is literally millions of pieces of good information out there that can help you learn how to do AdSense, or affiliate programs, or networking marketing.  I try to read something new every week as I try to figure out the endless possibilities that the Internet offers.

Tip #6  REPEAT STEPS #3, #4, AND #5 OVER AND OVER AGAIN.  Stick with it!  Worst case scenario, you will have all your thoughts online and organized, so you can easily write your autobiography when you are old, rich, and famous

I apologize to all of you who already know all this stuff, as I realize that most of you know WAY more than me about making money online.  I post this though, because this stuff would have seriously helped me when I started online, and I may not have wasted 6 months posting on blogger for my 3 visitors a day.  My hope is that all of you who read this blog will leave you #1 Tip for New Bloggers in the comments section.  That would be awesome!

Another amazingly funny thing that I’m hearing is…”We elected Barack…why don’t I have a job yet?” 

Well here is the deal, things are likely to get worse before they get better!  Americans are shouldering massive amounts of personal debt, more than any other time in history, and getting this debt burden down to manageable levels is going to take a significant amount of time.  That being said, encouraging banks to lend and citizens to borrow more is not the answer.  For what it worth, I believe any government stimulus package should focus on helping small business owners (like me) get going or expand.  I also believe that our leaders should focus ALMOST ALL of their attention of stabilizing the value of our assets…our homes, investments, etc.  It is almost impossible to think about starting or expanding a business when your biggest investment, your home, is falling significantly in value each month. 

My rant is over now…here is my advice on the job front.

#1  If you have a job…protect it!  In times like these, you need to be the best and hardest working you that you can be!

#2  Don’t rely on Job Websites…everyone is doing that.  I would be personally hand delivering my resume to every great business within 75 miles of my home. 

#3  Don’t waste your time.  If you find yourself with time on your hands, use it wisely!  Learn a new skill, take a class, read important industry journals, volunteer for good causes, take part time work where networking opportunities may exist, exercise and take care of your body, etc.

#4  Network.  Don’t let a temporary setback kill your confidence.  You are unique and special, and it is important that you continue to get out there and let people know that you are an individual with drive and passion.

#5 Be patient…but don’t miss an opportunity.  If you lost a six figure job, don’t be surprised if you are getting offers in the 60K range.  That is just how things are now a days.  Weigh your options wisely, and don’t necessarily bite the first little worm that you see.  BUT, know that sometimes in life you have to take two steps back to then take 3 steps forward.

As most of you know, I consider myself a bit of an expert on franchising and the franchise industry.  Most expert claims are backed up by personal experience, BUT additional credibility can be gained from having your thoughts, quotes, or stories published in national magazines, blogs, or trade journals. 

BUT HOW DO YOU GET YOURSELF QUOTED OR PUBLISHED???  HARO Help A Reporter Out . Com

HARO is a free place for reporters to put out requests for expert information or story needs that they may have.  I suggest all of you who have expert information (because of life experience or what not) in ANY subject area should register with HARO today.  You will get a few e-mails a day that outline what type of info reporters need.  If you have information to help a reporter, you send them an e-mail.  If they want to use you, they will e-mail you back.  THE ONE BIG RULE…is that you NEVER waste a reporters time, PERIOD!  There are other terms of use, but I view that as the big one.  I RARELY send info to these reporters, but when I do, most often they get back with me and use my story or quote.  This is cool, because I get to help a reporter out, and I gain a bit of credibility myself, a true win/win situation! 

So sign up today, and share your expertise with the rest of the world…(not just those of us who have found your blog!) 

P.S. And let me know about your experiences with HARO if you had already used it or once you start!  Thanks!